Since Yaoyao had asked beforehand, Charlotte didn't mention her transformation into a Magical Girl—she simply said Yaoyao's final strike had taken the Grader down.
Madame Ping pulled Yaoyao aside, inspecting her from head to toe to make sure she wasn't hurt, then gave her a thorough scolding about "proper caution."
Yaoyao nodded obediently through the lecture.
Meanwhile, Hanachirusato stood beside the ruined Grader, her expression thoughtful.
Now that she herself had become a Magical Girl, she could faintly sense traces of Light-type magic lingering in the air.
Her mind went to the small Magical Girl group chat she'd joined recently.
Yaoyao was in it too.
So it was clear: during that battle, Yaoyao had transformed.
And Charlotte, who'd witnessed it firsthand, must have seen the power for herself.
Would she be tempted to join them too?
Hanachirusato glanced toward Charlotte. Maybe she'll be in the group soon… does that make me her senior?
Xia Zhi approached the inert Ruin Machine with Cloud Retainer and began examining it.
She shook her head. "Its core's damaged. Unless we replace it entirely, it won't restart."
"You seem to know your way around these things."
"I studied most of Khaenri'ah's constructs in the past."
"Do you still have a spare core?"
"No, I used up the ones I had long ago during experiments."
"I see…"
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then opened his Shop and purchased an item.
"Will this do?"
Cloud Retainer blinked. "Is that… a Wonder Core?"
He nodded. "Mm."
When Ningguang rebuilt the Jade Chamber last year, she'd posted a bounty for a Wonder Core to serve as its control nexus.
Out of curiosity, Xia Zhi had searched the Shop and discovered it was available for purchase—so he remembered it.
[Wonder Core]
Quality: Black Iron
Type: Mechanism Component
Trait: None
Effect: A finely designed central module capable of linking various mechanical systems.
Hidden Effect: None
Price: 5 points
He'd almost used one while constructing the academy, but Yelan had gifted him a spare, so he hadn't needed to.
"Since it can run the Jade Chamber," Xia Zhi said, "I figure it might work as a temporary core for this thing."
"In theory, yes," Cloud Retainer mused. "The Wonder Core can auto-link to mechanical interfaces. I've never tested it on something like this, though."
"Then let's test it."
"Alright."
Ying'er tilted her head. "Boss, you're really going to fix it?"
He chuckled. "We'll see if it wakes up."
"Good luck!"
The girls all gathered closer to watch, curious.
Cloud Retainer, who'd dismantled countless Khaenri'ahn machines before, worked deftly.
In no time, the Grader lay open like a dissected beast.
From its central eye, she removed a fractured sphere—split clean through, the same wound Yaoyao's spear had made earlier.
Handing it to the girl, she smiled. "It's useless now, but it's still your trophy. Keep it."
"Thank you, Auntie Cloud Retainer!" Yaoyao said, beaming.
Xia Zhi passed her the Wonder Core.
She carefully inserted it into the Grader's eye socket.
Click.
The sound of perfect alignment.
The device linked instantly to the surrounding circuits—yet the construct remained silent.
Cloud Retainer reassembled the machine, returning it to its original, dormant state.
"No response…"
"Could it be low on power?"
"I checked its energy module—it should be sufficient."
"Then the problem's with the core."
"Most likely incompatibility," she said. "Khaenri'ah's constructs were all unique—each had its own ID and activation code. Without the correct signature, the system won't accept the new core."
"So we need to crack the code?"
"Exactly."
Xia Zhi adjusted his glasses, studying the giant hulk before him.
Troublesome… but not unsolvable.
He could always borrow the damaged original core from Yaoyao and use Time Rewind to restore it, reinsert it, and restart the machine.
That would be the easy way.
But he'd chosen the harder route on purpose.
This was a test.
His system panel appeared before his eyes. He opened his inventory and selected a small, gleaming key.
[Master Key]
Quality: Platinum
Type: Auxiliary Item
Traits: Opening, Activate.
Effect: Can open any door or activate any device.
Hidden Effect: Luck +10%
Recyclable Value: 1000 points
He'd gotten it ages ago. Back then, it only had one trait—Unlock.
Its first use? Creating a doorway through the wall next door.
Later, he'd evolved it once, gaining the second trait—Activate.
He'd never had a real reason to try it… until now.
Perfect opportunity.
He pulled the Master Key from his inventory, the small metal shape gleaming in his hand.
Then he pressed it forward—straight into the Grader's steel plating.
To everyone's astonishment, the key phased right through the armor as though it weren't there.
At that moment, Xia Zhi felt it—an intuitive connection.
If he turned the key clockwise, it would trigger Unlock.
Counterclockwise meant Activate.
If he chose Unlock, it would probably just open a passage inside the machine.
"Activate."
He turned the key counterclockwise.
A ripple of invisible energy spread outward from the point of contact, washing across the Grader's entire frame.
Then he withdrew the key.
The girls exchanged puzzled looks.
And suddenly—
The Grader's single eye flickered—this time with a soft, pulsing blue light.
Moments later, the colossal body began to move.
Under everyone's gaze, the [Ruin Grader] slowly rose to its feet once more.
This time, however, it didn't attack. It simply stood there motionless, as if waiting for orders.
Charlotte studied it carefully. "The color of its eye's different from before. It used to glow red—now it's blue."
Cloud Retainer nodded. "That's because it's running on a new core. The new one doesn't contain any combat protocols—actually, it doesn't contain any programs at all."
"So?" Charlotte tilted her head.
"So right now, it's only capable of powering on. After activation, it'll just stand there, awaiting input. Unless someone writes specific behavioral commands into the [Wonder Core], it won't move on its own."
"I see!" Charlotte said.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I think we should remove its autonomous functions entirely."
Cloud Retainer blinked. "Remove them?"
Xia Zhi tapped the armor plating with his knuckle. "Yeah. For example, we could build a cockpit inside and let a pilot control its movements manually."
Xia Ci's eyes lit with interest. "You mean—like a Gundam?"
Xia Zhi smiled. "Pretty much."
"But its appearance is nowhere near as cool as a Gundam's," Xia Ci commented, glancing up and down at the bulky construct.
"That can be fixed. We can remodel the exterior however we want."
Cloud Retainer frowned in thought. "But its internal structure doesn't seem to have enough spare space to hold a cockpit."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "That's easy. I can carve out a separate internal pocket of space to serve as the cockpit. That way, even if the main body gets hit by a massive explosion or impact, the pilot will be completely unaffected thanks to spatial isolation."
After a brief discussion, the three of them settled on a rough modification plan.
Cloud Retainer lifted her gaze to the towering machine. "We'll have to shut it down first…"
Xia Zhi nodded, pulled out the [Master Key], and inserted it into the [Ruin Grader].
This time, he turned it clockwise.
A faint ripple of invisible energy spread outward from the keyhole, washing over the machine's body.
When Xia Zhi withdrew the key, the blue light in its single eye slowly dimmed, and the colossal construct once again fell silent.
He checked the time—it was nearly four in the afternoon.
He stored the [Ruin Grader] away, and everyone piled into the hovercar to head back to the shrine.
The "Gundam project" could wait. Right now, he had a cooking lesson to attend.
After all, he'd promised Ei that he'd teach her how to make Liyue cuisine.
When Xia Zhi arrived in the kitchen, Ei was already standing by the stove, waiting patiently.
He greeted her, then began preparing the ingredients and cooking with practiced ease. Ei stood at his side, quietly observing and learning.
As he worked, he asked casually, "You know about that abandoned [Ruin Grader] in Araumi, right?"
Ei nodded. "That area's full of leftover Khaenri'ahn Ruin Machines. Some have long since rusted into scrap, but others are still functional. There are even ones that look dormant but will suddenly activate when approached. It's a dangerous place—no one really goes there."
"I see. Has Inazuma never tried cleaning it up?"
Ei paused, her gaze unfocused for a moment as she communicated internally with the Shogun.
"I'm not entirely sure," she answered. "But the Shogun says she did consider it once. The problem was manpower. It would have cost too much for too little gain, so she abandoned the plan."
That made sense. Most of Inazuma's elite forces had been wiped out in the Cataclysm five hundred years ago.
Against something like a [Ruin Grader], even someone like Charlotte—with a Vision—was completely outmatched. Ordinary soldiers would stand no chance.
Only the Shogun or Yae Miko could handle such threats—but they were far too busy to personally lead cleanup operations.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment. "Well, you didn't have much time back then. But now that your sister's back, maybe you could spar with those machines when you're free. Clean up the area while you're at it. Araumi's a good spot—it could even be turned into a new port."
Ei nodded. "That's my plan."
"You could invite the Dragon King and Venti along," Xia Zhi suggested with a grin. "I heard your fight with Azhdaha last time ended… prematurely?"
Ei sighed. "Yes. Because of my conflict with the Shogun at the time, my body's power was restricted. The Dragon King felt continuing the fight would be dishonorable, so he withdrew."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Then you can have a proper rematch now."
Ei shook her head. "No need."
"Oh? Why not?"
She looked at him, her tone calm and matter-of-fact. "Compared to you, he's too weak. I'm not interested."
Xia Zhi blinked, then laughed and shook his head. "If Venti and Azhdaha don't want to handle the cleanup, I can send Qiqi and the others instead. They've all become quite strong, but they lack real combat experience. Fighting those machines would be good training. And with you supervising, they'll be fine."
"Alright," Ei said softly. "I'll keep an eye on them."
As they chatted, Xia Zhi had already finished several Liyue dishes.
He handed Ei the ladle. "Your turn—give it a try."
The result, unsurprisingly, was… unique.
Ei followed the instructions precisely, her technique impeccable, but somehow the final dish still turned out strange.
Xia Zhi put down his chopsticks, his expression faintly grim.
He'd hoped to enjoy the fun of personally teaching a god how to cook, watching her gradually master the art of Liyue cuisine.
But apparently… that wasn't going to happen.
Ei looked at him, hesitant. "Is it… bad?"
He chose his words carefully. "Not bad, exactly. It's just… very different from how it's supposed to taste. Try it yourself."
Ei picked up another pair of chopsticks and sampled her own cooking.
"Well?" he asked.
"It's fine."
"…"
Xia Zhi exhaled helplessly. "Ei, if you really want to learn to cook properly, you'll need to fix your sense of taste first."
"My taste?" she asked, puzzled. "Is something wrong with it?"
"It's not just wrong," he sighed. "It's completely off."
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